Road trip through three basalt castles in Auvergne, from Puy-de-Dôme to Cantal
Road trip in Auvergne: three castles in the land of volcanoes
From Tournoël to Anjony via Murol: a road trip through Auvergne’s fortresses carved from basalt, set against a backdrop of volcanoes, feudal wars and family rivalries.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
Here, the castles are hewn from the volcanic stone that shaped the surrounding landscape. This road trip connects three fortresses built on ancient lava flows, from the Château de Tournoël near Clermont-Ferrand to the reddish keep of Anjony in the Cantal, via Murol, perched a thousand metres above its village. A route that suits both a family weekend and a longer circuit through the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Nature Park.
Historical context
PUY-DE-DOME · Murol
Château de Murol
Le château de Murol est un château situé en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, dans le Puy-de-Dôme. Construit sur un promontoire basaltique à près de mille mètres d'altitude, il domine le village de Murol. Il fut édifié à partir du XIIIe siècle et fut considérablement modifié au XVIe siècle.
CANTAL · Tournemire
Château d'Anjony
The Château d'Anjony, at Tournemire in the Cantal, was built in the 15th century by Louis II d'Anjony, a companion of Jean de Dunois and Joan of Arc, adjoining the towers of Tournemire, which the Anjony and Tournemire families had held jointly since 1351. This enforced cohabitation gave rise to three centuries of bloody rivalry between the two families, until the departure of the Tournemires around 1650. Built of reddish basalt on a strategic promontory, the keep with its four corner towers rises to 40 metres; each floor contains only a single room, including the great hall with a coffered ceiling resting on three rows of beams. The chapel is decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Christ and houses a wooden Black Madonna; the Knights' Hall retains frescoes portraying Michel d'Anjony and his wife Germaine de Foix, as well as Aubusson and Flemish tapestries, a Florentine table inlaid with ivory and Renaissance works. An 18th-century wing was added in a more contemporary style. Listed as a historic monument in 1942, the château is considered one of the most remarkable in Haute-Auvergne.
The route on the map
The Auvergne road trip route
From Tournoël to Anjony, via Murol.
Markers follow the suggested visiting order. Select a castle to open its page.
Day by day
The itinerary
Tournoël
Fortress of the Counts of Auvergne, site of the 1213 siege, near Volvic.
Murol
Basalt castle perched nearly 1,000m above sea level, near Lake Chambon.
Anjony
15th-century reddish basalt keep in Tournemire, in the Cantal.